Box setting-up machine



Nov. 10, 1953 C. L. CLAFF ET AL BOX SETTING-UP MACHINE Filed Feb. 26,1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l C. L. CLAFF ET AL Nov. 10, 1953 BOX SETTING-UPMACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 26, 1947 Patented Nov. 10, 1953 BOXSETTING-UP MACHINE Clarence Lloyd Claif and Carl A. Moeller, Randolph,Mass., assignors to Norfolk Paper Company, Inc., Randolph,,-Mass., acorporation of Massachusetts Application February 26, 1947, Serial No.731,064

The present invention relates to machines for forming or setting upboxes from flat blanks of cardboard or the like, and more particularlyto that class or type of setting-up machine commonly referred to assemi-automatic, in which the blank is fed by the operator to at least aportion of the machine instrumentalities for gluing, folding, andpressing the blank, and in which the blank is manipulated by theoperator to effect one or more of the bending or folding operations.

In these semi-automatic machines it is customary to apply pressure bymeans of power driven mechanism, under the control of the operator, thepressure member being relatively actuated to cause a single pressingoperation and then automatically to come to rest. This is commonlyaccomplished by means of a one-revolution clutch arranged to be trippedby the operator by pressure upon a foot treadle.

Since an experienced operator will set up five thousand or more boxes inan eight hour day, and each box requires two pressing operations, oncefor each end, the operator in regular operation of the machine is calledupon to depress the treadle every few seconds. A a consequence, thebodily weight of the operator is borne throughout the day largely byonly one leg. As a result, operators of such machines suffer extremefatigue in this leg, and in time develop troubles which compel them toabandon the operation of these machines.

It is the object of the present invention to eliminate the use in thesemachines of a treadle with the above disadvantages, by providing for theactuation of the one-revolution clutch through control mechanismpositioned to be actuated either by the hand or arm of the operator whenthe folded end of the carton is being presented to the pressing members,or by the carton itself, thus permitting the operator to stand solidlyat all times on both feet, and the control mechanism being actuated atthe desired instant to render the pressing members operative.

A further object of the present invention is to provide for theadjustable positioning of the control mechanism or its actuating memberto suit the physical requirements of the operator such as the manner inwhich the box is held or the thinness or plumpness of the hand or arm ofthe operator when the mechanism is actuated by the operator, but also topermit with both operator and carton actuation, a varying advance orretardation of the time of operation of the mechanism with respect tothe final positioning 2 Claims. (Cl. 93-363) of the folded blank betweenthe pressing members- A skilful and rapid operator requires less time toposition the carton between the pressing members after the controlmechanism is actuated, than does the less experienced and sloweroperator. Therefore this mechanism will be positioned so as to beactuated by the speedy operator while the carton is at a furtherdistance from the pressing members than with the slower operator, andthe output of the faster operator will be correspondingly increased.

With these objects in view, the present invention consists of Vasetting-up machine having controlling mechanism adapted to be engaged:by the hand or arm ofthe operator or by the carton itself to cause theactuation of the pressure members, which mechanisms may be adjustablypositioned to suit the requirements of the operator.

In the accompanying drawings which show the present invention asembodied in a machine for setting up fiat blanks to form shoe cartons,Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the top of the machine with the righthand corner broken away, and Fig. 2 is a front elevation, on an enlargedscale, showing a portion of the head of the press with the controlmechanism; Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3--3 of Fig. 2, lookingin the direction of the arrows, and Fig. 4 is a similar vertical sectionon line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig 5 is a horizontal sectional view on line 55of Fig. 2, showing two position of the hand of the operator with respectto the control mechanism, one in broken line when the folded end of theblank or box is being presented to the lower or movable platen, and theother in full line when the box is in its final or pressing position onthe platen; Fig. 6 shows diagrammatically the wiring of the switches andsolenoid of the control mechanism; Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional viewon lines 7-! of Fig. 1; Figs. 8, 9 and 10 show a modified form of theswitch actuating mechanism wherein the switch is actuated by themovement of the partially completed carton into the press, Fig. 8 beinga front elevation of such mechanism, Fig. 9 a vertical section on lines99 of Fig. 8, and Fig. 10 a horizontal section on lines [0-40 of Fig. 8;Fig. 11 shows in reduced scalea standard form of shoe box blank suitablefor use in connection with the present machine.

The machine of the drawings comprises briefly an upwardly extending andslightly rearwardly inclined guide or plate against which the end of thebox, in its initial stages of formation, is pressed and along which itis guided by the operator in substantially horizontal position with thebottom uppermost, the end wing extending substantially horizontally overthe top edge of the plate, the side wings turned downwardly, and theside wing extensions or corner tabs turned inwardly and contacting thefront face of the plate; a gluing mechanism comprising a bottom gluingroll and a top pressure roll between which the end wing with itsextension are passed to apply glue to the bottom surfaces thereof; afixed bending plow for turning the end wing and its extension downwardlyfrom the horizontal to inclined position with respectto the bottom ofthe box blank as the blank is movcdpast the plow by the operator; apressing mechanism comprising fixed and vertically movable pressingmembers or platens, the movable member having on its front face a wiperplate for bending the end wing into contact with the inturned side wingextensions, and folding the end wing extension over the edges of suchextensions as the operator wipe the end of the box upwardly with aturning movement to bring the end of the box uppermost in position to beentered between the pressing members; and a switch mounted on one of theplatens and located in an electrical circult controlling aone-revolution clutch which actuates the movable platen, and with aswitch actuating lever with contact member in position to be engaged bythe hand or wrist of the operator or by the blank as the latter ispresented for positioning on the movable platen.

The machine of the drawings is of the general type shown in UnitedStates Patent No. "110,930 to G. R. Wyman, dated October '7, 1902, andhas the backwardly inclined guide or plate I I, gluing roll l3, gluecontainer 14, pressure roll i5, plow or bender ll, fixed pressure memberor stationary platen l9, and vertically movable platen 2!. The latter isvertically reciprocateol by a rotary crank or cam driven from the powershaft through an intermediate one-revolution clutch, indicateddiagrammatically at 23, Fig. 6, all of which is a common arrangement inthis type of machine, as shown in said patent.

The operator forms the box carton from a flat blank of conventionalshape with this type of machine, as shownin Fig. 11, first manuallyfolding the side wings 25 of the blank downwardly and the side wingextensions 21 inwardly to close one end of the box. The closed end isthen pressed against the guide or plate II, with the end wing 2e and itsextensions 3| extending horizontally over the top of the guide in linewith the bottom portion of the box blank.

The operator then moves the partially folded blank to the left along theguide or plate to cause the end wing 29 and its extension 3| to passover the gluing roll l3 and beneath the pressure roll l5, these rollsbeing continuously rotated by power and applying glue to the bottomfaces of the wing and its extension.

From the gluing mechanism the operator advances the blank along theguide or plate to the plOW 'or bender I! which, as the blank is moved tothe left, bends the end wing and extension downwardly from the plane ofthe'bod'y or bottom 33 of the blank toward the inturned side wingextensions. 1 v

The blank is next presented to the wiper plate 35', see Figs. 1 and 7,fixed upon the movable platen, the operator first pressing the end wingagainst the lower 'or rearwardly bent portion 31 of the wiper plate tobring the end extension into contact with the inturned side wing extensions, and then wiping the end of the box 1115- wardly in contact withthe plate while turning the blank from a nearly horizontal to asubstantially vertical position, by this action folding the end wingextension downwardly and parallel to the bottom of the box.

As the box is raised, and its end comes opposite the opening between thestationary and the movable platens, the operator pushes the blankinwardly over the movable platen, thereby completing the folding of theend wing extension inwardly into position to be pressed against theinner margin of the inturned wing extensions when the movable platen 2|rises and followingthe tripping of the one-revolution clutch.

In the machine of the present application the one-revolution clutch,instead of being tripped by the operator by means of a foot treadle withthe attendant disadvantages hereinbefore set forth, is electricallyreleased through the mechanism diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 6,and comprising the electric solenoid 4| with movable core 42 and clutchtripping lever 43. The solenoid is connected to a source of electricenergy 44 through wires 45, 46, and main switch 41. The wire 46 isprovided with two normally open, make-and-break switches 49 and 51 ofthe type commonly known as micro-switches, the former being closed bythe operator to set the pressure mechanism in operation, and the latterbeing closed by a cam 53 on the shaft of the pressure mechanism throughcam lever 55. The cam 53 is so timed that the switch 5| will be openedimmediately after the tripping of the one-revolution clutch 23, and willnot again be closed until just before the clutch is thrown out and themechanism comes to rest.

The purpose of this switch 5| and cam 53 is to reduce to a minimum theduration of the energizing of the solenoid 4| so that a smaller solenoidmaybe employed with a heavier electric current yet without danger ofdamage to the solenoid from over-heating.

The switch 49 is mounted upon the angle iron bracket 51 secured as shownin Figs. 1, 2 and 3 to the face of the stationary platen l9 and havingthe cover plate 58. The switch is actuated through leaf spring 59 fixedupon the actuating lever 60, pivoted on the stud 6| fixed in bracket 51,and is normally drawn downwardly by tension spring 63.

Adjustably mounted in the free end of the lever 60 is the abutment screw65 with knurled adjusting head 61 and set nut 69. The lower end of theabutment screw 65 is positioned to contact with the horizontal short armH of the bell crank lever 13 pivoted at 15 to the lug 16 depending frombracket 51. The long depending arm ll of lever 73 carries the contactplate 19 with the curved or bent front and rear portions 8| and 83 to beengaged by the hand 85 or forearm of the operator, as shown in Fig. 5.

The angle iron bracket 51 upon which the switch 49, the lever 60, andthe bell crank lever 13 a're all mounted, is provided with thehorizontal slots 89 adjacent the ends of the bracket, and through theseslots pass clamping screws 9| for adjustably securing the angle ironbracket and its attached mechanism to the stationary platen I9. I

Downward movement of the short arm ll of the bell-crank lever 13 islimited by the stop screw 93 mounted in depending support 95 secured tothe bottom of the angle iron bracket 51 by screws 91.

'By first loosening the clamping screws 9|,the switch and lever unit maybe adjusted to the right or to the left to bring the contact plate 79near to or further from the path of movement of the operators hand orarms as the folded box end is being presented to the movable platen,thus causing the switch to be contacted and actuated by the hand or armof the operator at the desired time in the movement of the carton. Forexample, if the operator holds the box in such a way that the back ofthe hand or forearm extend considerably to the left, or if the hand orforearm is plump, the unit may be adjusted to the left. If, on the otherhand, the operator holds the hand close to the box or the hand andforearm are thin, the unit may be adjusted to the right.

Again, if the operator is skillful and fast, less time will be requiredfor positioning the folded end of the box between the pressure members,and the switch unit may therefore be adjusted to the right so that theswitch will be actuated and the tripping of the clutch initiated whenthe carton is still a substantial distance away from its final positionbetween the pressure members. On the other hand, if the operator is lessexperienced and slower, the switch unit would be adjusted to the left,delaying the actuation of the switch and the tripping of the clutchuntil the slower operator has had time to bring it to substantiallyfinal position between the pressure members.

Thus the machine may be speeded up, as it were, by reducing the durationof the idle portion of its cycle of operation, thereby increasing theoutput of the machine in accordance with the skill and speed of theoperator.

Not only may the time of actuation of the switch be varied by adjustingthe switch and lever unit laterally on the stationary platen, butprovision is made for positioning the contact plate '59 further forwardtoward the operator, or backward toward the machine, either to vary thetime of actuation of the switch or to bring the late to the position tocontact the desired portion of the operators hand or arm.

This adjustability is secured by providing the back face of the contactplate with hearing blocks 99, fixedly secured thereto and transverselybored to receive the short rod Iii! which also passes through the longarm lever l! and held in place by the set screw I 93.

In Fig. 5 are shown two positions of the plate and of the hand of theoperator holding the folded carton, the first position in broken linewith the carton ready to be placed over the top end of the movableplaten and the hand or arm of the operator well spaced from the contactplate, and the second position in full line showing the plate after ithas been engaged and actuated by the arm of the operator and the cartonis in final position upon the movable platen. The contact plate is inthis figure is so adjusted that the switch would not be actuated untilthe folded end of the box was only a very'short distance from the finalposition, say an inch and a half from such position. This would be aboutthe setting of the switch for a moderate speed operator.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10 there is shown a modification of the switchmechanism wherein the switch is positioned to be actuated by the cartonitself as it is being presented to the movable platen. An adjustablemounting for the switch and contact member provides for the actuation ofthe switch earlier or later as the carton is advancedto its finalposition on the movable platen.

In this modified construction the switch unit is mounted, not upon thestationary platen, but upon the movable platen on the back face of thewiper plate l5l as shown in Fig. 9. The unit comprises the switch proper49], supported upon a horizontal bracket 492, extending rearwar-dly fromthe plate 494.

Pivoted at 496 on the plate is the actuating arm or lever 59!, withspring contact 51! for actuating the switch. A contact button 512 isfixed upon the free end of the lever 59I and projects through thevertical slot 514 in the Wiper plate 45L with a clamping screw 578,permit vertical adjustment of th switch unit to bring the contact button512 lower or higher in the guide so that the folded edge of the end wallof the blank will contact and actuate the button sooner or later in theupward movement of the box or carton along the wiper plate, thusadvancing or delaying the tripping of the one-revolution clutch. Fi 9shows the switch unit in broken lines at a lower position with thetripping of the clutch advanced, and in full lines at a higher positionwith the tripping delayed.

The operation of the setting-up machine here in shown and described, isas follows: The press having been provided with a movable platen of theproper size for the blank or carton to be set up, and the switch unitfor the one-revolution clutch having been adjusted to suit theconvenience and speed of the operator, the machine is set in operation,causing th gluing and pressure rolls l3 and i5 and the driving member ofthe one-revolution clutch to operate continuously while the pressuremechanism stands at rest.

The operator takes a flat blank from an adjacent supply, and holding itsubstantially horizontal with bottom side up, bends down the side wings25 with her hands and turns the side wing extensions or the corner tabs2'0 inwardly with her fingers, leaving the end wing 29 and its exttension 3| extending horizontally in the line of the bottom 33.

The partially folded blank is then pressed against the wall or guide ifto hold the corner tabs in their folded position while the end wing 29and extension 3| extend horizontally over the top of the plate or guide4 l.

The operator now moves the folded blank toward the left along the frontface and top edge of guide II to bring the end wing 29 and extension 3!into the bite of the gluing and pressure rolls, thereby applying glue tothe bottom faces of the end wing 29 and extension 3!, as the blank ispropelled by the rolls.

After leaving the rolls, with th end wing and extension still projectinghorizontally over the top of the guide or plate H, the glued blank iscarried to the left by the operator into engagement with the fixedcurved bender or plow H which, in the continued movement of the blank,turns the end wing and extension downwardly from a horizontal toward avertical position, the blank during the final stages of such operationpassing beyond the end of the guide i l and being left free andunrestrained in the hand of the operator, still in a substantiallyhorizontal position.

The blank or carton is next moved bodily to the left and its end ispressed against the wiping apron 35 to bring the glued end wing intocontact with the inturned side wing extensions. The

Off-set guides or brackets 516, one

aura-43s '7 end of the blank or carton is then raised while maintainingcontact with the wiping apron to turn the end wing extension 3| over theedge of the end The raising of the folded end of the box and the turningand wiping action are continued uhtil the end of the box reaches thebottom of the angle iron support 51, when the box bottom will bevertical, the end wing horizontal, and the eiid wing extension verticaland parallel with the boxbotto'm.

The folded blank is then pushed inwardly between the two pressuremembers, the end wing extension 3| being turned inwardly under theintilrnedcorner tabs or side wing extensions 2! to complete the foldingof the blank into final end formation as shown in Fig. 4, the top faceof the movable platen being recessed, as at I05, to receive such endextension.

During this movement of the carton into the press, the switch controlmechanism is contacted either by the arm or hand of the operator, or bythe box itself, if the modification of Figures 8, 9 and 10 is employed,releasing the one-revolution clutch and setting the lower platen inmotion just as the blank reaches its final position between the platens.

As the lower platen 2i rises, it momentarily clamps the folded and gluedparts together against the stationary platen [9 under heavy pressure,and then quickly releases them, returns to its lowermost position, andcomes to rest.

The operator removes the carton from the pressing members, and turningthe box in her hands performs the same series of operations 1 upon theother end of the box to complete the carton.

The setting up machine herein shown and described is simple, compact,convenient for, and easy or operation by the operator, with a capacityof production determined by the skill and dexterit'y of the operator.

While in the accompanying drawings and the foregoing specification thepresent invention is shown and described as embodied in a certainmechanism, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited tosuch specific constructions and arrangements, but may be embodied inother forms within the scope of the language of the appended claims.

Where in the claims reference is made to the arm of the operator, thisis to be understood as meaning and covering either the forearm, orwrist, or hand of the operator.

v Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a box making machine having gluing and folding mechanism foroperating on the end formations of a box blank during advance of theblank from right to left by the operator, and pressing mechanism forsealing the box end formation upon presentation of the box to thepress-' i'n'g mechanism in a direction away from the operator and at anangle to the direction of box ad- Vance through the gluing and foldingmechanism, said pressing mechanism comprising relatively movablepressure members between which the folded and adhesivelycoated endformation of the box is inserted when the members are in "open relation,power means for causing one of said members gradually to move toward theother, a. switch to set in motion said power means, and a switchactuating member adjustably positioned at the side of the pressingmechanism away from the gluing and folding mechanism for engagement bythe outer portion of the hand or forearm of the operator in advancingthe box end into the space between the pressure members, the switchactuating member being mounted for movement laterally of the directionof insertion of the box in the press and forwardly of said press foractuation by the operator in advance of full insertion of the box endbetween the pressure members to initiate closing movement of saidpressure members before the box end reaches final pressing position.

2. In a box making machine having gluing and folding mechanism foroperating on the end formations of a box blank during advance of theblank from right to left by the operator, and pressing mechanism forsealing the box end formation upon presentation of the box to thepressmg mechanism in a direction away from the operator and at an angleto the direction of box advance through the gluing and foldingmechanism, said pressing mechanism comprising relatively movablepressure members between which the folded and adhesively coated endformation of the box is inserted when the members are in open relation,power means for causing one of said members gradually to move toward theother, an adjustably mounted switch to set in motion said power meanshaving a switch actuating member positioned at the side of the pressingmechanism away from the gluing and folding mechanism and alongside thepath of advance of the box into the press from the gluing and foldlngmechanism, said switch actuating member being positioned forwardly ofthe press intermediate the press and the operator for engagement by theouter portion of the hand or forearm of the operator in advancing thebox end into the space between the pressure members, the switchactuating member being mounted for movement laterally of the directionof insertion of the box in the press in advance of full insertion of thebox and between the pressure members to initiate closing movement of thepressure members before the box end reaches final pressing position.

C. LLOYD CLAFF. CARL A. MOELLER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

